Money in the Bank

The bank shot, a tried and true method of shooting that seems to have fallen out of style. Where did it go? And more importantly, given it’s usage to win some key playoff games, I think it’s making a comeback.

The Glass in the Past

According to the History of the Basketball Backboard by M. L. Rose, original basketball hoops didn’t have backboards. Basketball invented in 1891 originally had the “peach baskets… attached to balcony railings 10 feet above the playing surface.” The backboards weren’t introduced to a few years later.

The evolution of the backboard had a lot do with the fans. The saturday evening post article states backboards were only introduced to, “prevent balcony spectators from reaching down and blocking shots.” Later on it was changed to glass because, “fans… complained that it blocked their view.”

Breakaway backboards were added to prevent this:

Accuracy of the Window

So everyone has heard that backboards increase percentages, but is it true? And if so, why is nothing but net the shooting style of choice?

A study at N.C. State proved “the bank shot can be 20 percent more effective,” when compared to straight on shooting.

Even more so insidescience published an article with similar results, given specific areas of the court, “bank shots from these areas are as much as a 20 percent more likely to go in than shots aimed directly at the hoop.”

So why aren’t players using this knowledge? Is the bank shot simply too old school?

Square Playoffs

The Chicago Bulls’, who unfortunately fell to the Cavs, series had an incredible bank shot win a playoff game. To bad for them Lebron did this the game after, which made Rose’s heroics ineffective.

The truth aka Paul Pierce established his dominance by banking in a win for the Wizards during a playoff game.